Huge Medal Hauls in the Pool

[Lord Camomile]

So Michael Phelps has begun his attempt to win eight gold medals in one games, which will beat the seven gold medals won by Mark Spitz in 1972. I'm pretty sure the BBC also mentioned a female swimmer who's going for six.

Why are swimmers able to compete in so many different disciplines? Why are, for example, runners not able to compete in so many different races, especially as they don't have to run in different styles for each race!

Couple of ideas that occur to me off the bat are either that swimming is somewhat more of an endurance sport and not quite as 'explosive' as the sprints (but what then of the distance track races?) and also the effort is spread around the body, whereas runners are pretty much only using their legs (but obviously not soley).

Just thought, I suppose the distances aren't quite as varied in the pool as they are in running? The distance between 100m to 200m to 400m in running is, I assume, quite different to the distances in swimming (50m-200m?).

 

[marty21]

there's a lot more heats to compete in if you're a sprinter, and generally in the sprints, people might double up 100/200, but rarely go further than that, an exception would be michael johnson who did 200/400, and Alberto Juantorena who ran 400/800, i don't know of anyone else who has done that double -

sprinters could probably go to a max of 3 medals - with the relays - and there's heats to do in those as well

 

[Nigel Irritable]

Why are, for example, runners not able to compete in so many different races, especially as they don't have to run in different styles for each race!

The absence of different "styles" is the main reason.

If there was a 100 metres freestyle running, a 100 metres running backwards, a 100 metres running with a hop every three paces etc, then you would likely have athletes going for large medal hauls. As it is, even the likes of Carl Lewis were restricted to going for four or so (100m, 200m, 4X100m, long jump).

 

[Lord Camomile]

To be honest I figured it might be that after I wrote it. 100m backwards sprint would be great to watch

 

[FridgeMagnet]

I thought for a moment that pool had become an olympic sport

 

[Lord Camomile]

I thought for a moment that pool had become an olympic sport

Give it time...

 

[FridgeMagnet]

Darts first kthx.

 

[the button]

Darts first kthx.

Exhibition sport for 2012.